


I'll Be a Sugarplum One Day

by hirayaart



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist (Anime 2003), Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Gen, Parental Roy, Parental Roy Mustang, Uncle Roy, uncle woy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-03
Updated: 2020-06-03
Packaged: 2021-03-04 07:00:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,585
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24519595
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hirayaart/pseuds/hirayaart
Summary: Gracia calls in a favor and asks Roy to pick up his goddaughter from ballet class. He happily obliges.
Relationships: Elicia Hughes & Roy Mustang, Elicia Hughes/Roy Mustang
Comments: 14
Kudos: 67





	I'll Be a Sugarplum One Day

**Author's Note:**

  * For [rizathelionheart](https://archiveofourown.org/users/rizathelionheart/gifts).



> Just some parental!Roy fluff with little Elicia Hughes, some time after Maes passed away, and well before all the chaos.

Colonel Roy Mustang sat almost uneasily in his chair, focusing forcibly on the Central Times newspaper in his hands.

_ What am I doing here…should’ve sent one of the guys to do this. _

From his sides he could hear young women whispering excitedly and looking in his direction from down the hallway, some of them even outright pointed elegant fingers as if he wouldn’t notice. Mingling musically with their voices was the sound of a fluid piano guiding its listeners through the motions of tendus and pliés at the barre.

Indeed, on a late Thursday afternoon Roy found himself in Elicia’s city ballet school. Gracia had reached his office line to call in the urgent favor of picking up his goddaughter while her train home had gotten stuck just three stops out.

Roy sighed and closed his eyes, folding the paper and tucking it back in into the newspaper rack. His brow furrowed at the shushes and giggling that quickly ensued. He offered the girls down the hall a kind smile and each of them blushed pink and returned to tying their ribbons and pursuing their warm-up. Roy took out his state issued pocket watch. “1658,” he mumbled. His 4-year old niece will be out of the studio at any moment. Roy looked back at the girls who were now comfortably settled in their splits, chatting candidly amongst themselves. Subconsciously, Roy’s mind went back to Elicia, who was far from being even a third or fourth of these girls’ age. He realized that one day, if she continued her ballet classes, she would be one of these girls settled in a split with her friends and probably curiously eyeing a military officer sitting awkwardly down the hallway. 

Then again, maybe she  _ wouldn’t  _ be so curious, as Elicia had practically grown up around military personnel.

One of the girls suddenly looked up and caught Roy’s eye. He sat up and quickly glanced away, adjusting his uniform collar. His mind slowly began to drift elsewhere...

So he literally snapped to attention when the studio door suddenly burst open and a group of children ran out, Elicia weaving her way through her classmates and straight into her uncle’s open arms. 

“Uncle Roy!” she cried, crashing eagerly into his embrace.

Roy grinned, “How was class, Elicia?”

Elicia beamed, “Madame said I look very good!” Roy looked up to see who she was referring to.

A stern looking woman, likely no older than he was, clad in black leotard and dance pants held the studio door. “Advanced girls may use the room now. Madame Dugrande will be here shortly,” she barked. The older girls down the hall immediately collected their things and began to file into the studio. Elicia’s teacher turned to Roy and Elicia. “You  _ are _ doing well, Elicia,” she said kindly. “I’m very proud of you.”

Roy took Elicia’s hand and straightened up to offer his own to shake. “Madame,” he said customarily, “Roy Mustang,”.

“A pleasure, officer,” she returned and slightly dipped into a habitual curtsy. “Natasha Harper.”

Elicia turned to look at her teacher, “Madame, he’s a  _ Colonel!” _

Roy turned beet red, “It’s okay, I don’t-”

Natasha smiled and placed her hands elegantly over her heart. “Thank you for correcting me, Elicia,” she said and looked back towards Roy. “Colonel, thank you for picking her up. I suppose Mrs. Hughes sent you?”

Roy nodded, “Yes. Her train is delayed, but Elicia and I will go meet her at home now.”

Natasha nodded, “I won’t keep you then. I have to transfer studios,” she smiled and looked back at Elicia, “Will I see you at rehearsals this weekend, dear?”

Elicia nodded and waved. Roy dipped his chin and he watched Natasha walk away. Elicia tugged at his military skirt, prompting him to look down.

“Uncle Roy, will you have dinner with us?” her green eyes gleamed. Roy smiled, “I’m not sure yet,” he said honestly. “Shall I carry your dance bag for you?”

Elicia shook off her bright pink backpack and handed it to Roy who slung it around his arm. “Did you want a piggyback?”

Elicia squealed and jumped up and down. Roy knelt and helped Elicia sit on his shoulders, allowing her to grab some of his hair while he kept a hand on her leg. “Piggyback home!” Elicia sang as her uncle began to walk towards the school exit.

The two easily warranted softening looks on their way out as they were quite the sight--a little balletomane and her ‘military escort.’ But as soon as Roy reached the door, a voice called from behind.

“Colonel Mustang!”

Roy stopped and turned carefully, seeing Natasha trotting up. “Would you please mention Elicia’s grand recital happening in three Sundays? I gave all the students a letter to pass on, but I also meant to mention it when I saw their parents,” she said, and with a giggle added, “But seeing as you’re the one here today.”

“Ah,” Roy smiled kindly back. “Will do, Madame.”

With another wave, Roy let himself out of the school and began walking towards the direction of the Hughes’ apartment building. He remained silent, enjoying Elicia’s humming as she settled on his shoulders.

The bundle of joy he was carrying brought him an immediate sense of calm and content. He could feel her little fingers thoughtfully tangle with the mop of hair on his head as she continued to hum her little song and swing her legs only slightly to the beat.

“What are you humming, little one?” he asked.

“It’s the opening song of our recital,” she said, hugging his head to try and peer into his face. “It’s called...mmmm...Marie and Fritz!”

Roy looked up and smiled fondly at his goddaughter. “What ballet is it from?”

“The Nutcracker!”

“Wow!” Roy offered genuinely. He knew enough that The Nutcracker was a popular ballet for children, originally composed by a Drachman nobleman in the 1800’s. But he wanted to hear Elicia explain that herself. “Can you tell me more about it?”

Elicia shifted excitedly and Roy had to bring one of his hands to tap her shoulder, “Careful please, little one!”

He only got a giggle in return and a tighter hug around his head. 

“It’s a big and famous ballet,” Elicia started. “Madame said that it’s made up of two acts, and it was composed in 1892 by Pytor Tch...Sch….”

Roy smiled.

“I don’t know how to say it,” she said sheepishly.

“That’s alright, Elicia. Drachman names aren’t easy to pronounce.” Roy chuckled. “You’re already so bright to remember the exact year it was made!”

“Mmm!” Elicia cheered and patted her uncle’s head. “I’m going to be one of the guests in the opening act, and then I’m also going to be a polichinelle in Act 2!”

“What’s a polichinelle?”

Elicia bent closer to his ear and whispered dramatically, “It means ‘secret’, Uncle Roy! Don’t tell anyone, but the secret is that Mother Ginger has little children like me under her skirt and then--” Elicia threw her arms up in the air, and again Roy had to tap her on the shoulder. “We come out from under her biiiig petticoat!”

The way she finished her sentence had both of them laughing. Her joy filled his heart. He could not, for the life of him, understand what Elicia meant by coming out from under _Mother Ginger’s skirt,_ but if she was this happy telling him about it, then it was more than enough to make his heart swell and pound reaffirmation of how much he treasured her. Just as much--no, perhaps even more--than he ever treasured her father. 

Elicia was the embodiment of his best friend now, one who was young and had an entire future ahead of her. Roy had long since made the commitment to protect that future with everything he had.

“Katharina is so pretty,” Elicia suddenly says, almost solemnly. “I want to be like her one day.”

Roy smiled, “Is Katharina your friend?”

Elicia gasped and gripped a handful of Roy’s hair, “No!” she said, as if disbelieving her uncle could be so  _ oblivious. _ “Katharina is Madame Dugrande’s  _ best _ ballerina,” she said wistfully. “She gets all the best roles. She got Clara when she was smaller, but now she’s old enough to be the Sugarplum Fairy.”

“Do you have be a certain level to dance those roles, Elicia?”

“Mhmm!” Elicia nodded, bumping her chin on his head. “That’s why I  _ never  _ want to miss a class.”

Roy grinned. “Then, very good. Your dedication will make you the Sugarplum Princess--”

_ “Fairy!” _ Elicia corrected.

_ “Fairy, _ my apologies,” Roy laughed. He was horrible at this. “Your dedication will make you the Sugarplum Fairy before you know it.”

A comfortable silence enveloped them again. Roy turned a corner approaching the last block towards the Hughes’ apartment when Elicia spoke up again, this time her voice uncharacteristically small.

“Uncle Roy?”

“Hmm?”

Elicia bent over and hugged his head again, as if trying to look at him upside down. “Will you come to my recital next, next...next Sunday?”

Roy looked up. “Do you want me to?”

Elicia nodded and kept her chin on his head. Roy felt his heart melt. “I’ll be there,” he said softly. Subconsciously wondering if the Lieutenant would join him as well...

“Uncle Roy?” Elicia said again.

“Yes?”

“Love you, Uncle Roy.”

Roy raised his eyebrows and paused. And then he felt his eyes begin to well.

“I love you, too, little one,” he managed.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you liked this! Come say hi and find TWO full artwork on my tumblr @hirayaart ! First "Piggyback" and second "Moms Made Fullmetal Day 6: Pride", when Elicia is much older. Yes, Roy and Riza still attend her recitals--PERFORMANCES--by then~
> 
> Also gifted to @rizathelionheart for inadvertently reminding me I even had this WIP 💕


End file.
